Leavenworth Real Estate

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Leavenworth Homes: $200,000 to $300,000

 

Question: What is the number of single family homes on the Leavenworth market between $200,000 and $300,000.

 Answer: 19 

A move up in price range brings a dramatic increase in the number of available listings. From my previous post, the number of listings under $200,000 was 4. There are now 5 active listings since Geordie just listed a Ski Cabin for $199,900.

 

The current number of listings between $200K and $300,000 is 19. Ten of those listings are within the city limits of Leavenworth and 9 are in the surrounding areas. Of the city listings, 6 of those are older homes built between 1900-1920. Two were built in 1950’s and 2 in the 1990’s. These are typical entry level in town homes that usually need updating/repairs or are on very small city lots—30 feet across the front.

 

The other 9 listings are all cabins. Four of them are in the Ponderosa Estates Community, 1 in Chiwawa River Pines, 3 in the Lk. Wenatchee area and 1 up Hwy 97 in Valley Hi.

 

Nine of the 19 listings have experienced price reductions, and 1 a price increase. The average days on market is 93, however some of these listings are re-lists and actually have much longer market times.

 

There are currently 2 pending sales. One is a home about a mile up the Chumstick that has been on the market since last year pending at $280,000 (original list price $349,000). The other is a cute A-frame in Ponderosa pending at $209,500.

 

In the past year there have been 24 closings in this price range. Eight of the homes were in town and 16 were out of town cabins. Interestingly, 20 of these listings sold for under list price. Seven of those 20 had already had a price reduction and then sold for under the reduced listing price. Only 4 of the 24 sold for asking price and two of those had been re-listed at a lower price. While statistically the ratio of sale:list price is 96%, I was surprised by how few actually sold for asking price.

 

Looking at months of inventory supply in the two differing categories of town and cabins, there is a significantly greater amount of supply in town. There is currently 15 months of supply of in town homes and a seven months supply of cabins. Not surprisingly, western Washington buyers looking for cabins continue to be the bulk of business in the Leavenworth area.

What you can buy in Leavenworth for $200,000?

 

So…What can you buy for under $200,000? 

Currently there are four homes on the market. One is a small cabin in the Ponderosa Estate neighborhood. The other three are all cabins on Lake Wenatchee. While these last three sound great, there is a catch. The cabins are on US Forest Service lease land. This means you do not own the land and you must pay the Forest Service a yearly lease fee. Historically these fees have been relatively low, however with new county assessments these fees are going up. By one estimation in the year 2011, the fee will be $16,000/yr. The lease contracts have also been shortened to 5yrs, down from the 20yrs they used to be.

 

You also must get clearance from the Forest Service to do any exterior improvements or additions. The homes have been on the market for several summers and the price of them are the lowest they have been, with two of them priced at $119,000.

 

In the past year, seven homes have sold under $200,000. They were either one or two bedrooms, .75 or one bath (although one house did not have a bathroom), and all were under 1,000sqft.

 

There are currently three pending sales in this price range. One is small cabin, 649 sqft, in Ponderosa Estates backing to the high voltage power lines. This one is pending at $99,000. There is a 720 sqft home in Leavenworth on a .04 acre lot pending for $199,000. The last is a dome home on Lakeview Dr with a peak-a-boo view of Lake Wenatchee on .96 acres. The unusual nature of this home is the reason for the low pending price of $199,000.

 

MEMORIES OF OUR CABIN AT THE LAKE

 

 

Geordie and I help a lot of customers find a cabin get-away. These clients are seeking a place to be in nature, to get away from their cell phones and computers, and to spend more time with their family. I come from a cabin culture. When I was growing up, our family had a cabin on a lake in western Ontario. This area created many fond memories and helped shape my love of the outdoors. Here are some of those memories.

 

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The sun shines its last rays across the water as it slips down below the opposite tree lined shore. The sky holds the orange color in a softly fading glow. The water turns from yellow to orange and finally to an inky black. The haunting call of a loon echoes across the lake. The crickets start their nightly symphony and the mosquitoes begin their evening feast. A typical night at Echo Bay on Lake of the Woods, Ontario.

 

 

My family owned a small cabin on this shore. My dad bought a forested lot with his cousin, Rick, when he was 20 years old in 1967. The waterfront lot was .89 of an acre with a steep drop off to the lake. After clearing a spot, the young men bought the lumber in Winnipeg, and hauled it out to the lake on a Thursday night. On Friday they started transporting the lumber in their 15′ tin boat across three bays to the lot since there was no road. A fellow at the landing took pity on them and lent them his barge allowing the rest of the lumber to be carried over in one load. The following week the two men with the help of Rick’s dad, framed, sided, and roofed the 20′x24′ structure. The cabin was born.

 

 

Initially, the cabin was a rough structure with one big room. My dad cooked and heated the cabin on a coal & wood stove. Later propane was brought out and a stove, fridge, and lights were added. Over the years the interior configuration of the cabin changed, ending up with two bedrooms and an L-shaped living room/dining room/kitchen.

 

 

My first trip to the cabin was Aug 1978 when I was 2 months old. From then on, I made the 2 ½ hour journey from Winnipeg every weekend from May long weekend till Sept. long weekend.

 

My dad’s best friends had cabins on either side of ours, and their kids were roughly the same age as me. This provided fellow participants in all our adventures and schemes. Namely made up water games or catching frogs to put in the moat around our sand castles.

 

 

The lake was a place of firsts.

 

 

First time blueberry picking. The blueberries never seemed to get above a certain level in my ALL detergent bucket, but my belly was always full and my lips purple.

 

 

First time water skiing. After a few turns around the bay, I felt confident enough to try dropping a ski which I tried repeatedly for an hour. The only thing I succeeded in was falling repeatedly and giving myself such a stiff neck the next day I couldn’t move it.

 

 

First time watching the northern lights dance across the night sky. I can still picture the faint glow of the dying sun and the green whisps of light gently pulsating overhead.

 

 

The first time paddling a canoe with my dad.

 

 

The lake was a magic place that occupies a special corner in my mind. A brief thought recalls the wind in my face as we speed in the boat towards the cabin or the smell of the morning forest.

 

My memories are all of family time spent together. No television, no phone, and in the beginning no electricity. Just us hanging out on the dock, taking boat rides, playing games and having campfires.

Leavenworth News Update

 

Water Moratorium Continues-The city council voted to extend the water moratorium currently enforced in Leavenworth for another six months. The vote came at a council meeting on Nov. 13th. The initial moratorium was enacted due to 1200 applications for water hook ups and only 112 hook ups available. The city plans to devote a large portion of the Dec 11th meeting to revisiting the moratorium and possibly giving smaller projects within the city and urban growth boundary an exemption.

 

Good Morning America sets up shop for a live feed from the village green on Thursday Nov. 29th. The feed will begin at 4am, 7am New York time, featuring the Bavarian village lights and general Christmas theme. Many shops plan to be open for the gathered crowd including Uncle Uli’s Pub and Starbucks.

 

The Gypsy Cafe has opened its doors. Leavenworth’s newest restaurant, located at 931 Commercial St, offers paninis, soups, salads, and a revolving dinner menu. Their focus is on healthy organic food. Hours are 8am to 8pm everyday except Tuesday.

Leavenworth Shorts: Nov 16

• Leavenworth will have a new mayor starting Jan. 1, 2007. Rob Eaton, a Leavenworth City Councilman, ran unopposed in this year’s election. Eaton said he is very excited and “looking forward to continuing the tasks that have been laid down.”
• Local Olympian, Torin Koos, got pulled over last Saturday for obstructing traffic on his roller skis. A local resident called the police a Koos started up Beaver Valley Hill leading out of Plain. The resident was concerned since the road has no shoulder and hairpin turns. Koos is a two time cross-country ski Olympian.
• Leavenworth Winter Sports Club is holding their annual fundraiser this Sat Nov 17th at the Enzian Inn from 6:30pm to 9:30pm. This year’s main goal is to expand Junior and Adult ski programs and instruction. There will be a silent and a live auction. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at the door.
• The Cascade High School football team continues to win. They defeated Cle Elum 42-14 last Friday night. Cascade will head to Pasco this Saturday to play Royal (11-1) in the second round of the state finals. Cashmere High School also made it to round two of the state finals and will play Connell (11-0). Both teams face tough opponents, as Royals only loss was to Connell.
• A few inches of snow still covers Steven’s Pass. The Pass received 8 inches earlier in the week but today’s rain has compacted the snow. The ski area typically opens when there is 24 to 36 inches on the ground. Mission Ridge continues to make snow and hopes for a Thanksgiving weekend opening. Keep your fingers cross!*News from Leavenworth Echo Nov 14,2007 (volume 104, No 46), Wenatchee World Nov 12, 2007.